Demonstrative Communication Essay

Submitted By cuscare
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Pages: 5

Demonstrative Communication: Do You See What I Mean
Demonstrative communication is about how messages are conveyed through the use of various techniques, written, unwritten and non-verbal cues. One can only imagine what the world would be like without the use of demonstrative communication. It helps to shape every word that is spoken and adds new meaning to each statement presented. It is a way of adding color and emphasis to the spoken word and helps the audience to better understand the meaning of the message. It can cause confusion and be a bit misleading and ineffective if used incorrectly or if it is not in agreement with the verbal communication.
Demonstrative communication can include non-verbal cues such as eye contact, posture and body orientation, gestures, facial expressions, paralinguistic’s, proxemics, which is the use of space, chronemics, the use of time and haptic, is the use of touch. Eye contacts + Postures + Gestures + Facial Expression + Paralinguistics+ Proxemics + Humor = Effective Communication (Subapriya, 2009). These are critical components when giving a presentation and could determine your success or failure. The use of these techniques can breathe life into the audience by engaging them and keeping them interested in what is being said. A good example of who uses these strategies is motivational speaker Anthony Robbins. He uses a great deal of non-verbal communication at his seminars and really draws the crowds into what he is saying. His posture, gestures, facial expressions all support what he is vocalizing to his audience. They believe what he is saying and that he is credible. Conversely, If he were to speak in a monotone voice and remain distant from his audience as well as not varying his posture or facial expressions, the impact of that would be that the crowds perception is that he doesn’t believe in what he is saying. This negatively impacts his message and subsequently he is no longer on the motivational speaker circuit.
What is said and what is heard can be very different with regard to its’ meaning. As stated in an article by Dr. R. Subramani, “There are clear distinctions between the meanings we offer in words and the meanings we give off in nonverbal signs. Senders and receivers simultaneously encode and decode the meanings of the messages.” (Subramani, 2010, pg. 1).
A person who is in a sales role relies on their ability to persuade the customer into making a purchase through their communication techniques both verbal and non-verbal. This would be difficult if not nearly impossible without non-verbal communication. The customer would not see the excitement on the face of the sales representative expressing his knowledge of the product nor would the sales person be able to read the facial cues or body language of the customer in order to know which approach might work best. “The human face is extremely expressive, and able to exhibit immeasurable emotions without pronouncing a word. Facial expressions are universal and they communicate information about emotions, regulates interpersonal behavior and perceptions.” (Subramani, 2010, pg. 4).
Demonstrative communication can also be in the form of both written and unwritten cues. These are demonstrated in pictures, graphs, and even personal appearance. When the type on a paper changes from regular to bold its’ meaning is interpreted as having more emphasis and thus more important. A good example of this type of non-verbal communication is in emails. An email containing bold capitalized words are taken to mean the person who sent it is upset and is yelling. A picture can also exude a great deal of non-verbal communication by calling on the viewer’s emotions and causing that person to take a stance. A graph during a presentation can cause the audience to feel good or bad depending on how it is presented. It could show positive growth or a need to start cut backs. Even the personal appearance of a perspective